


down towards the ground, gravity smiled

by ACaseOfUnstableEmpathy



Series: Rosyln [2]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, I promise there is comfort, M/M, Max being an awkward alien, fluff? sorta, handwavy medical stuff, max being a good brother, tagging is hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21643831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACaseOfUnstableEmpathy/pseuds/ACaseOfUnstableEmpathy
Summary: He holds the very accumulation of a human soul in his hands. It’s not as warm as the last time Alex let him in; it’s cooling as it’s illumination dies. “Please,” he mumbles. “Please.” He can’t hold the connection between them any longer and he finds himself spat out into reality again. Something trickles from his nose and he wipes blood with a sniffle. He can still feel Alex like a dying flame facing harsh winds that pose a threat to its very existence.[Sequel to wings would help you (formerly known as A Terrible Thing)]
Relationships: Alex Manes & Kyle Valenti, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Rosyln [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559557
Comments: 3
Kudos: 73





	down towards the ground, gravity smiled

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. 
> 
> I'm back. Since a lot of the comments on the last part of Rosyln wanted a sequel, here you go. It starts off sad...but I promise it gets a lot better to the end. I wrote this in one day...amazingly. It's currently 1:40 am and I have to get up in 6 hours; oof, but I wanted to post it up for all of you lovely people. Happy reading!

Michael knows the exact moment in which Alex starts to dim. Closing his eyes, he lets himself be dragged into the shared space of their minds. He plummets and for a moment, it feels as if his stomach has suddenly dropped like the sensation of when an airplane slowly descends. He’s straining to maintain the mind-space. Coming to rest, the life-force he sees is dimming, its beautiful light failing. He holds the very accumulation of a human soul in his hands. It’s not as warm as the last time Alex let him in; it’s cooling as it’s illumination dies. “Please,” he mumbles. “Please.” He can’t hold the connection between them any longer and he finds himself spat out into reality again. Something trickles from his nose and he wipes blood with a sniffle. He can still feel Alex like a dying flame facing harsh winds that pose a threat to its very existence. 

“Alex please,” He begs, speaking into the airman’s hair as tears streak down his face. “Don’t do this to me.” His eyes turn to the sky as if expecting some answer and he wants to scream at the fucking aliens who put him here. 

The bond snaps like a fraying rubber band and Michael _feels_ it, echoing throughout his very being.

Shockwaves before an emptiness sets in and he wishes he was fucking numb. Because being numb would be better than feeling the agony in him that follows. 

His world goes cold. 

A pained wail rips itself free from his grasp and he finally _finally_ lets himself shatter. He forces everything; his sorrow and _anger_ outwards, releasing it like a breath he’s been holding in for years. He’s expecting the earth to tremble or for the ground to crack beneath him and swallow him whole, but nothing happens. Not even a pebble rolls. He’d be damned. 

Sobs rattle him and he doesn’t even try to stop the sounds that he makes. There’s no fucking point anymore, not when the very reason for his existence has been so brutally ripped from him. Torn from his soul like a mother being separated from her child. He withdraws slightly, letting his hand rest on Alex’s cold cheek. The soldier looks so peaceful and the lines of stress are gone as if they never existed. Tranquility at last, but it’s never enough.

“I would take all your pain, scars, and trauma into myself if it meant keeping you with me for the rest of my life.” Michael whispers, his voice just barely audible over the wind that sweeps across the canyon. “If it meant that I could keep loving you.” He lowers his forehead to Alex’s and exhales shakily, letting his eyes close again. 

* * *

By the time he hears the tires of a Jeep, the sun is long gone and he hasn’t moved. Glancing over his shoulder at the vehicle, the headlights blind him and he squints, making out two figures running towards him. “Michael!” Max’s gruff voice is full of relief, but Michael can’t bring himself to say anything in return. He’s too focused on the body in his arms.

“Holy shit,” Kyle breathes as he takes in the extent of the situation. A hand flies to his mouth. “Alex.” Having just located Max and rescued him from a separate holding facility, he had been fairly positive that nothing could make his day worse; he was just proven very much wrong. 

“Michael, c’mon,” Max gently tries, crouching down to his brother’s level. “We need to go.”

Michael just raises his eyes that appear red from the amount of tears he’s shed. He doesn’t have to say a word and he doesn’t think he could even bring himself to speak. For once in his life, Michael Guerin is silent, no witty remark or a harsh snap. Nothing. 

“You can carry him,” Kyle’s desperately trying to keep himself composed. “But Max is right, we do have to move.”

Finally, Guerin rises to his feet, ignoring how his joints crack and muscles scream from sitting in one position for too long. With Alex is cradled in his arms, he strides towards the Jeep as Kyle opens the door for him before jumping into the driver’s seat. Michael places Alex’s head on his lap and fixes Max with a pleading stare after his brother situates himself at the far end of the back seats. It’s enough to make Max feel like his gut was on the verge of being ripped out. Kyle steers the car to the exit of the canyons, navigating skillfully with the help of the GPS system he had pulled up on his phone. 

“I don’t know, Michael.” Max gives a slight shake of his head. He’s more aware of his limits that are currently enforced by the pollen as well. 

Michael’s unyielding in his silent pleas and Max exhales before glancing at Kyle, “How far are we from the nearest hospital?”

“An hour and 30 mins minimum. You really think you can do this?”

“I should just be able to get his heart started, but I don’t think I can do more than that.” Max’s response is firm and Kyle’s silence is not a comforting approval, but there’s no other option. Turning his eyes back to his brother, he nods and Michael swallows.

The skin beneath Max’s palm glows with brilliant fiery radiance and he’s cautious enough to keep his energy contained enough to focus on the task at hand. Warmth steadily seeps into the bond and Michael can feel the spark, heating him. It’s enough to know that Alex is at least breathing and he doesn’t need to check. Max pulls back, slumping against the corner with sweat glistening on his skin. “Done.” He announces tiredly and is already aware of the awakened hope that resides in his brother. Michael is quick to apply pressure to the wound, using a towel that Kyle hands him. Determination flares in his eyes. He’s not loosing him. Not again. _Never again._

“You better be sure about the distance, Valenti,” Max growls lowly. “I can’t do that again.” 

“I’m just as sure as I am positive that Liz will never forgive me if I let one of her best friends die.” Kyle’s answer is filled with enough overloading confidence that it sets Michael’s nerves on edge. 

Normally, he’d make some smart-ass rebuttal but nothing comes to the front of his mind. His thoughts are soundless as if they never existed to begin with. He runs his fingers across Alex’s forehead, moving his bangs to the side. There’s hope now and Alex has always been a fighter. 

* * *

“I need assistance!” Kyle shouts as he comes running into the hospital. “My name is Dr. Kyle Valenti,” he’s sure to flash his medical identification card at the woman at the front desk. Several doctors and nurses stop in their tracks, surprised at the sudden commotion. “And I’m in need of dire medical assistance. I have a patient outside.” He’s frantic, with hands shaking from adrenaline in his bloodstream as he leads several doctors outside to his parked vehicle. 

“Michael,” Kyle leans into the car, looking at him directly. “You’re gonna need to let go of him. Help has arrived.” He keeps his voice lowered and as calm as he can manage. Reluctantly, Michael gets out and allows Kyle to carefully lift Alex’s body onto the stretcher. Instantly, the alien’s view is obscured by medical personal who are instantly spurred into action. His legs give out beneath him and he comes crashing down onto the black pavement, with the sharp edges digging into his already irritated skin and drawing blood. 

Max is by his side in a heartbeat, hauling his brother to his feet and letting him lean onto his form for support. “C’mon. Let’s sit you down.” The two of them hustle into the hospital and instantly, the putrid scent of the building is something that makes unease settle in both of their bones. 

“Sir, are you alright?” A nurse asks, eyeing Michael in a state of concern. 

Damn, he can only guess how shitty he looks right now being completely shirtless with crimson smeared on his chest, bloody knees and red tired eyes. The instant his feelings leave he knows he’s slipping into shock. He slumps and Max tightens his hold. 

“Yeah,” Max speaks for him. _Thank God._ “He’s fine. We’re accompanying Dr. Valenti and the patient he had escorted. He’s a friend ours.” 

The nurse nods and glances at Michael’s knees. “I should probably take a look at that. And what about the blood on his chest?” She points a finger. 

“Oh, it’s not his, ma’am.” Max answers and the nurse leads them to one of the smaller examination rooms. 

The walls are white and it reminds Michael of the snow he saw last month with Alex on their road trip to Santa Fe. It had been so painfully domestic and so _normal_. They kissed by the river and one evening when they’d settled in the tailgate of this truck, he taught the Captain about the stars and the planets that rested just beyond the night sky. The world had been theirs like it felt like back in high school. It was almost as if those past 10 years didn’t exist at all. But Alex’s missing right leg served as a solid reminder of the events that unraveled after Jesse Manes had intervened in the toolshed. 

A slight sting takes him by surprise and he glances down at the nurse who carefully cleans the abrasions on his kneecaps. “Sorry,” she softly says and he just shrugs his shoulders. His anxiety is brought on by the unknown, the questions that were left unanswered about Alex’s condition. They are eating away at him, gnawing at his patience and feeding his worries.

Bandages are applied and the nurse stands to wash her hands at the sink, “You’re free to go. The waiting room is the first left.” Max thanks her before he and Michael leave the room without another word. 

* * *

Max Evans isn’t even sure what time it is when he comes to. As he fixes his seating position so he’s no longer slouching, he scans the room for his brother. Others are sound asleep in the chairs but he doesn’t find who he’s looking for. He narrows his eyes. Michael wouldn’t have just wandered off, unless…

He lets himself cycle through the possibilities before stretching out as he rises to his feet. The lady at the desk is busy doing her paperwork so he takes that chance to slip to the door that separates the waiting room from the other wings of the hospital. The door slightly creaks behind him but he’s already jogging down the hallway. 

“Excuse me, sir?” A male voice says from behind him and like the good person he is, Max turns around. 

“I’m sorry, I’m looking for my brother. He was with me in the waiting room last night for our friend who was brought here. He’s a little shorter than me with brown curls? Has a bit of a swagger about him when he walks?”

“Oh, I don’t know about the swagger, but yeah I can lead you to where he went.” The doctor starts walking to the left and Max follows. It’s not long until they reach the room and Max glances inside through the window. The scene that meets his eyes makes a slow warm feeling settle in his stomach. He’s so transfixed that he doesn’t even notice the other doctor leave his side. 

Alex Manes rests under white sheets of the bed, hooked up to multiple machines that monitor his vials. There’s a steady beat that signifies his breathing pattern as his chest rises and falls in an easy rhythm. He’s not as pale as when Max found him and Michael, but he still lacks significant color to his cheeks. Evans can just make out he sight of bandages that peak out from underneath the light blankets draped over his form. Beside him, Michael Guerin is seated in a chair with his hand resting on top Alex’s. His head is titled back as he soundly sleeps. 

Quietly, Max slips into the room and shuts the door behind him. The noise awakens Michael who yawns and turns in his direction with exhausted hazel eyes.   
“I’m sorry for waking you,” Max is soft as he speaks. “How’s he?”

Commutation with words isn’t always needed between them and Isobel. The triplets have always had some sort of connection between them that tied them in their own methods of understanding each other. Simple glances could say things from an insult to a question. All they needed from a very young age was each other. 

The look in Michael’s irises is positive and it’s probably the most encouraging response that Max has gotten out of his brother since he found him. So there’s at least some good news. His thoughts drift to Kyle and there’s no sign of the good doctor, besidesa clipboard on the bedside table that has his name written on the first sheet of paper. 

“Is it okay that I’m here?” 

Michael nods and Max takes a seat in the far chair against the wall. Michael’s thumb strokes Alex’s hand as if encouraging him to wake up. Its exceedingly tender and Max can’t recall a time that he’s ever seen his brother so affectionate towards a human being. It makes him wonder what drew him to Alex in the first place. Manes had been a rebel in high school, with Kyle being his biggest adversary in school. Oh, how times have changed them all since then.

* * *

He takes a very deep inhale with the stench of hospital infiltrating his nose and he instantly regrets it. Quickly expelling the air, the airman feels drossy and he probably could thank the painkillers for actually doing their job. How much did the doctors have to give him? _Wait a minute,_ he lazily thinks. _Hospital?_ His drugged mind catches up slowly like a lumbering tortoise. Alex Manes starts slow, opening his eyes and adjusting the slight brightness of the world. He squints and then blinks as his vision clears. The first thing that the sees is a head full of golden curls and eager hazel eyes. His heart flutters at the warm relieved smile that crosses Michael’s face. 

“Hey,” Alex tries, his voice weak and raspy. His body feels heavy like weight tied to his ankles in water. It’s probably a combination of the medicines and mere exhaustion from the hell he had just been through. 

“Hey there,” Michael answers with tears swelling in his eyes. He follows it up with a soft, “Darlin’.” And Alex’s soul feels as if it could take flight. 

“You’re here.” He reaches a hand out and Michael leans closer as the palm rests on his cheek, the thumb caressing the dusting of stubble.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Guerin’s breathless, holding back the tidal wave of emotions that want to engulf him again. However, the salty tears that fall from his eyes aren’t of sorrow, but of utter relief. 

“That’s the most he’s spoken since I found you all.” Max startles them and all glances fall on the sheriff who suddenly embarrassed. Color leaves his face in a rush and he awkwardly clears his throat. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll wait outside.” He scrambles for the door and leaves rather gracefully, leaning against the wall. 

“What does he mean?” Alex questions, running his hand through Michael’s curls as the alien lowers his head, enjoying the contact. 

“You should save your voice. I can explain everything later after you rest a bit more.” 

He’s all too familiar with this; the changing of a topic as if to avoid ever crossing it again. Alex knows this tactic and has dealt with it before. Even though he’s just literally escaped the clutches of death (again), he still wants a proper response and isn’t about to take ‘no’ for answer. 

“Guerin,” Alex’s tone adapts a more serious nature. “What does Max mean?” God, why does it always feel like he has to dig an answer out of Michael? 

He swallows as if unsure of how to proceed, “Uh, I don’t know how to explain it. But,” he takes a breath, not wanting to revisit that moment when he felt Alex’s presence leave him. “I guess I slipped into some sort of shock and I couldn’t find my voice. It was really weird, like…I was trying to make sense of everything at once and my words got caught in the mix of things that I didn’t understand.”

“You went mute.” Alex goes silent, processing this. Does he really mean this much to him? That his passing is enough to render Michael completely and seriously speechless? 

“Don’t leave me again,” Michael pleads, leaning in to kiss Alex’s forehead. “Please.” 

“I won’t.” A pause. “How’re you feeling?

Michael is in the midsts of pulling back when the question slaps him.“God, I was fucking terrified, Alex. And all you can ask is that? You were the dying in my arms.” He pulls away, running a hand down his face with a dry laugh. “I’m doing okay. But you are amazingly _interesting_. And that’s putting it lightly.”

Alex quarks an eyebrow upwards. “Oh am I?” A small smirk follows and Michael rolls his eyes with a chuckle. 

A knock on the door signifies another person and they fall silent. Kyle enters with Max in-tow and there’s a grin that crosses the doctor’s face, “Well look who’s awake! Sleeping Beauty himself! Did you wake him up with a kiss, Guerin?”

“Oh fuck you, Valenti.” Michael flips a finger and Alex relishes in the small banter. Oh, he’d honestly miss this if he left this world. 

Professionalism returns to Kyle as he strides over to the bedside and glances at his patient. “I was assigned to you even though this isn’t my hospital. I have all the qualifications so they let me oversee you.” He’s dressed in a white lab coat with blue scrubs underneath and he looks mighty fine professional. “They assumed that you’d be slightly less cooperative with a doctor you didn’t know, considering you’re military background and the trauma that came with it.”  
“Jesus, Kyle how much did you tell them?” Alex grumbles.

“Not much. When they pulled your records, they found out that you’re military and a few of your past psychological evaluations.” 

“That’s already too much,” he complains and Michael soothingly squeezes his hand. “I would prefer that they didn’t do that, but it’s okay. It’s nice to see you, Kyle.”

“And you too, Manes. I hate you for giving us all such a scare, especially Guerin, who I actually thought would never speak again.” 

“Everyone keeps bringing that up.” Michael groans with a glare to Kyle. “Knock it off. He knows already.”

“Someone’s moody.” The doctor mumbles before picking up the clipboard and flipping to a new page. After jotting down the current time, he glances at Alex. “Are you in pain at all?”

Great, interrogation. “It’s kinda hard to tell if you’re pumped full of painkillers.” The Captain answers. “But I don’t feel high.” On multiple occasions, he’s been high on painkillers because of the loss of his leg. 

Kyle scribbles down a more appropriate response. “So no pain. Breathing patterns are stable and heart rate is a little slow but normal under the circumstances. Good.” He finishes up before heading to the door. “I gotta write the report. I’ll be back.” 

Michael continues his glaring as Kyle leaves and Alex gently slaps him on the arm, “Will you stop that?”

“Stop what?” Michael looks at him with a confused expression.

“Stop looking at Kyle like that. He’s not a danger, nor is he a threat to me.”

“That doesn’t make up for what he’s done in the past to you.”

“Relax. I’ve put that behind me. We both have and trust me, we’d both appreciate it if you let it settle, okay?”

Nodding, Michael rests his head on the bed beside Alex’s resting hand. “Okay.” Fingers thread through his curls again, bringing a calmness over him like a blanket being draped over his shoulders. “Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Michael.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that. I cried writing this. Please leave kuddos, share with your friends, and leave some feedback! I have a tumblr! Please [follow](https://captalexmanes.tumblr.com/)!


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